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    Melao Bistro

    4.8 (17 reviews)
    ModerateLatin American
    Closed 11:30 am - 10:00 pm

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    Orange Chicken. Forgot to take a pic before my son started eating.

    We stumbled upon this gem on Sunday and the food was so good and reasonably priced ( way cheaper than any place in Old Town) that we decided to go back again today and we were not disappointed. We had the truffle fries with parmesan and garlic and they were the best I've ever had. Our son had the Orange Chicken and it also was out of this world. The chicken was nice and crispy and the orange sauce was amazing. Service is really friendly. We will be back again before we leave on Saturday. It is that good! I am surprised both times wasn't very busy - maybe we eat too early or it's a little out of the way but it really isn't far from the cruiseship dock. You are missing out if you don't try it.

    Filete en zetas
    Jose H.

    Great variety of plates. I went with a group from work and all were very pleased and happy with their selections. We had tables outside and the ambient and the view made our night one to remember. Service could improve, but personal was very kind. Recommended A+++

    Ari W.

    Came from next door to get some authentic Puerto Rican food. The mufango was good the tacos were ok. Not really what I was expecting but it wasn't bad

    Mango Mojito
    Glenda H.

    My visits to this little gem were separated by two years. For me, a landmark of a great restaurant is constancy and innovation, contradictory perhaps but it works. It works very well for Melao Bistro with its innovative twist local favorites and incredible use of everything savory about Puerto Rican cuisine. Two years ago it was out of this world, two years later It continues to revolve in another galaxy. I'm Booking my ticket for the next space Trip!

    Amazing burger
    Diego M.

    I absolutely did not anticipate this place would be as awesome as it was. Tucked away from the more touristy areas and far from the cruises, the food here was both incredibly delicious and surprisingly affordable. Inside was not very big from the looks of it but given the nice weather we sat outside and enjoyed the nearby breeze. My burger was quite thick and cooked appropriately to order: medium (hottest way to eat meat fyi). My wife's salad was equally good with fresh vegetables. We will definitely be returning for a nice lunch.

    Lemon spinach salad and a halibut with cherry sauce yuuummm (the fact that i still remember it after 6 moths means its good!!!)

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    11 days ago

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    3 years ago

    The food was delicious and the service was good as well. I loved the drinks and the games and ambience

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    11 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Best restaurant in San Juan hands down. The crab salad was bomb! We will definitely go back again.

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    11 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    Melao Bistro Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Melao Bistro

    I'm not a salad person but the boricua salad is very very good I have eaten there many times and everything is excellent !!

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    El Jibarito - Flan de coco and flan de chocolate

    El Jibarito

    3.9(2k reviews)
    0.9 km
    $$

    Loveddddd this place in Old San Juan! Jeremy was an amazing server. The beef stew was so flavorful…read moreand moist. It paired so well with the trifongo. We had come here for an afternoon snack and drinks as we were walking around old San Juana and the forts all day and had gone to one fort and ready to move to the next after a bite. This was the perfect meal to hold us over. Not so greasy and not too filling. The drinks were just average but refreshing after hours in the sun. The atmosphere is casual and busy and loud. However, the service was quick even with them being busy. I highly recommend the beef stew with mofongo and coming here even if it's just for that!

    The restaurant has the ambiance of a small town PR restaurant that you would find tucked away in…read morethe country roads of the island, with the long shared tables and the decorations. The wait was usual for Old San Juan. About 30-45mins. They take your name down and call you when there's a table ready. What they don't tell you is that the menu is a QR code on the table. Once you figure that you see a well organized and simple 2 pages menu with many PR authentic dishes listed. The waiter comes about 10-15mins later. And it's best to have all your order ready as they don't come back very often. The place is usually packed all the hours that they're open. Food: that's why they lost a star. Rice and beans, Madurai/amarrillos, scurrilous, delicious 5 stars, but the bigger, empanada, chicken with garlic lack the bite that you come to expect of PR food! They lack taste, "Sazon", they were bland and tasted more like someone forgot to season them and forgot the garlic. I'd tell them to go back to their food and make PR food like it's supposed to taste, not for the tourist, please!

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    El Jibarito
    El Jibarito
    El Jibarito - Condiments

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    Condiments

    Restaurante Raices - Boatload: (Bacalaitos)

    Restaurante Raices

    3.3(1.9k reviews)
    0.7 km
    $$

    This place was very busy. We had to wait about 30mins before entering they write down your name and…read moreit will be called based on table availability. Once we made it inside they had a long menu of different items. Was able to order and the food took some time to come out but with how busy it was I knew it would be a while. The food came out and it was fresh also hot just missing some hot sauce. The place is noisy with voices carrying which is normal. A recommended place to visit when in Old San Juan.

    I asked a Puerto Rican friend for restaurant recommendations in Old San Juan. This was one of the…read moreplaces on his list. I checked the menu and decided to come here for dinner. They don't take reservations but we were gonna go early anyway. We decided that we'd get there at 5:30 PM and allow up to 30 minutes wait time. My friends got there a bit before 5:30 and were seated before I arrived. I got there a bit after 5:30 and there was a line of people trying to put their names down as I was walking in. They had already ordered drinks and an appetizer. We ordered another app and put in our entree orders. The bacalaitos took about 30 minutes to arrive. They were delicious. Not too salty which was great. The entrees took over 30 more minutes to come. I ordered the paella and it was delicious. My friend thought her mofongo was just ok. I tried a bite and it was kinda bland. The kids thought their entrees were ok. I thought they didn't make the right choices. Service was OK. Server wasn't really present as the majority of our time there was waiting vs eating. That was true for most patrons. Most people seated at tables were waiting instead of eating. Not sure if there was an issue that night. Either way, I'd say that it's still a good spot. You just can't come hangry or in a hurry.

    Photos
    Restaurante Raices - Juan and the wine selections.

    Juan and the wine selections.

    Restaurante Raices - Pechuga de Pollo

    Pechuga de Pollo

    Restaurante Raices - Paradise Found:

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    Paradise Found:

    Café El Punto - Empanadas were tasty!!

    Café El Punto

    4.3(539 reviews)
    1.1 km
    $$

    They didn't have everything available on the menu but we came at a time before dinner and after…read morelunch. The passion fruit mojito was the best I have had. Had fresh fruit as you could see the seeds grinder, the mint so good and soooo worth it. The cafe con leche...as a coffee snob was AMAZING. Dark bitter chocolate notes with espresso taste and so very good. We had fried fish and kids menu with steak and everything top tier. Very impressed compared to anything else on the island. I Loved every part. If you like spicy ask for the salsa and it's a very good habanero tasting good on everything flavor. The service was good. They don't bother you but check in after every 15 minutes. Don't sleep on the atmosphere. It was amazing.

    I enjoyed my food here, but wasn't a 5 star because of the price…read more.. I heard many great things about this place, so I decided to visit with my friends. We stopped by for early dinner. Since we got here early around 6pm, the wait wasn't too long. I opted for the STUFFED AVOCADO WITH STEAK & CHILEAN SALAD It was everything I expected. The steak was well cooked. The avocado was very good. Both the avocado & steak added to make the meal very filling. The Chilean Salad had a good amount of cilantro & tomato. It helped balance out the meal. The rice & beans was a good compliment to it all. Everything tasted good, but I didn't expect to pay over $30 for this simple meal.

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    Café El Punto
    Café El Punto - Ceviche was fresh & delicious!!

    Ceviche was fresh & delicious!!

    Café El Punto - Tostones are my fav!!

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    Tostones are my fav!!

    Mallorca - mallorca w/ butter

    Mallorca

    4.2(844 reviews)
    0.8 km
    $$

    Review #1,046 Posted on 4.26.26…read more We came here on Thursday the 23rd while in San Juan area for my buddies 50th birthday. This spot we had seen on social media a ton for being famous for their Mallorca sandwich, a special type bread, we got the one with bacon & American cheese. Man, I made the mistake of doing the bacon instead of ham, overthought that deal. I tried my buddies with ham n cheese and I think that was way to go. I loved how this spot had that super old school feel of like a diner. You can sit at one of the table tops, or you can do the countertop too, which has tons of seats, we all were able to sit there. I'd 100% recommend this spot, but get the ham n cheese mallorca sandwich, don't overthink it.

    Walked in here at ~8:15am for breakfast. There was not a lot of people yet; we were seated at the…read morebar. After a few minutes, people started trickling down and soon the place was close to being full. I liked the mallorca with ham, bacon, cheese! It was delicious. They looked small but they were filling. The pastries displayed at the window were inviting. If you're dining in, you have to tell your server that you're getting some pastries that are on display then you ask the person at the counter who also serves as the cashier to get them for you. The guava pastry was good. The vanilla bread with strawberry and pineapple/lemon was okay. They looked better than they tasted in my opinion. Payment for everything would be at the cashier after dining. If you're in San Juan, this is a place to try!

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    Mallorca
    Mallorca - Mallorca w/ ham and cheese

    Mallorca w/ ham and cheese

    Mallorca - Mallorca with ham n cheese

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    Mallorca with ham n cheese

    Melao Bistro - latin - Updated June 2026

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